My family and I first became aware of Sapphire's holiday catering via a postcard mailer last…read moreThanksgiving (2025). We recognized the name as that of the well-regarded restaurant that used to be run by the same chef, in Laguna Beach, several years ago. Having had wonderful meals and service there, we opted to try the catering venture, and we loved it just as much, so much, in fact, that we ended up using their holiday catering services again for Christmas (2025), and we'll do so again any time it's on offer.
For us, holiday cooking/hosting is always stressful, with too little time to accomplish too much, especially when trying to serve a big extended family and trying to find time to actually spend quality time with family members instead of being harried by kitchen tasks and timers. We've tried other high-end restaurants' holiday offerings over the past several years, but Sapphire will definitely be our go-to for as long as it's an option.
There are many, many things we loved about Sapphire. First, the price is comparable to other offerings in the area, but the quality that you get for it is so much better. You can choose from a variety of meal packages and numbers of people that need to be served, and you can also order particular dishes, a la carte, on top of that if you or someone in your family wants something in particular (or in higher quantities of a particular dish). You can opt to pick up the order, in person, at their Costa Mesa headquarters, during a specified window of time for pick-ups, or, if you meet a spending criterion, you can get it delivered straight to your home. We opted for home delivery both times, and it was smooth, prompt, and extremely convenient, with the delivery person being so polite and making sure our order was delivered with the utmost care and attention.
Each dish was thoughtfully and well-packaged, such that it could slide straight into your oven or fridge, as needed, on the day or thereafter (for leftovers). Everything arrived at food-safe temperatures and was super fresh and lasted for days of leftovers without issue. The containers were sturdy and oven-safe, which made clean up so much easier and more convenient, as we weren't having to do loads of dishes before and after. Every dish arrived with specific heating instructions, and they all used the same oven temperature, such that there was no inconvenient juggling of times and temperatures in our single-oven home.
The food itself was wonderful, with every dish, from appetizers, salads, and soups, to main courses, to desserts, being perfectly seasoned and just to our tastes. There is no holiday dish of theirs that we've tried that I would not recommend to others. Some of our standouts and favorites included their whipped yams, Brussels sprouts with bacon, macaroni & cheese (containing corn), glazed carrots, butternut squash bisque, turkey, cauliflower gratin, creamed spinach, and apple and pumpkin pies. Everything was just right, decadent but not too much so, with the love, care, and attention associated with home cooking. The portion sizes were also very good for adult appetites, with no dish being too little to serve the number of guests for which it was specified.
Their catering general manager, Nicole Lee, was such a complete pleasure to work with, which is unfortunately not always the case in this day and age. She was friendly, very on top of things, and extremely accommodating whenever we had questions, concerns, requests, or specific needs. It's really nice to order from a business that clearly values its customers and obviously goes to great lengths to ensure customer satisfaction, from the beginning to the end of the process, and with someone competent and cordial guiding you through the process whenever needed.
All in all, we would happily and easily order from them over and over again because it minimized what otherwise would have been lots of holiday stress ,to the point that it was non-existent, allowing for us just to spend quality time being together and appreciating family. I would definitely recommend that you treat yourself to the gift of a stress-free holiday whenever the opportunity presents itself!
